The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires the removal of physical obstacles to those who are physically challenged. The stated objective of this legislation has increased public awareness and concern over the requirements of the physically challenged. Consequentially, there has been more emphasis in providing systems that assist such a person to access a motor vehicle, such as a bus or minivan.
A common manner of providing the physically challenged with access to motor vehicles is a ramp. Various ramp operating systems for motor vehicles are known in the art. Some slide out from underneath the floor of the vehicle and tilt down. Others are stowed in a vertical position and are pivoted about a hinge, while still others are supported by booms and cable assemblies. The present invention is generally directed to a “fold out” type of ramp. Such a ramp is normally stowed in a horizontal position within a recess in the vehicle floor, and is pivoted upward and outward to a downward-sloping extended position. In the extended position, the ramp is adjustable to varying curb heights.
Fold out ramps on vehicles confront a variety of technical problems. Longer ramps are desirable because the resulting slope is lower and more accessible by wheelchair-bound passengers. Longer ramps are, however, heavier and require more torque about the pivot axis to be reciprocated between deployed and stowed positions. To satisfy this torque requirement, such fold out ramps use large electric motors, pneumatic devices, or hydraulic actuators to deploy and stow the ramp. Many of such systems cannot be moved manually in the event of failure of the power source unless the drive mechanism is first disengaged. Some existing fold out ramps can be deployed or stowed manually, but they are difficult to operate because one must first overcome the resistance of the drive mechanism. Moreover, dirt and debris often enter an interior portion of the ramp, causing premature wear and failure. Further, fold out ramps require a depression (or pocket) in the vehicle's vestibule floor in which to store the retracted/stowed ramp. When the ramp is deployed, the aforementioned depression presents an obstacle for wheelchair passengers as they transition from the ramp to the vestibule, and on into the vehicle.
As noted above, many existing fold out ramps are equipped with hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic actuating devices. Such devices are obtrusive and make access to and from a vehicle difficult when the ramp is stowed. Moreover, many of such fold out ramps have no energy storage capabilities to aid the lifting of the ramp, which would preserve the life of the drive motor or even allow a smaller drive to be employed. Finally, operating systems for such fold out ramps must have large power sources to overcome the moment placed on the hinge by the necessarily long moment arm of the fold out ramp.